GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 19 Embry-Riddle (18-9, 10-0 TSC) vs. Ave Maria (6-14. 3-5 TSC)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE:Â ICI Center
MATCH TIME: 2Â p.m.
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
LIVE AUDIO:Â Stretch Internet
LIVE VIDEO:Â Stretch Internet
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold are ranked 19th in the eighth regular season coaches' poll, holding steady from last week's poll. The Eagles reached the NAIA National Tournament Final Site for the third consecutive season in 2012. Head Coach Josylnn Gallop is the winningest coach in program history, owning a 219-81 career record in this, her ninth season at the helm of the Eagles.
ABOUT AVE MARIA
Ave Maria hails from Ave Maria, Fla. and is a fellow member of The Sun Conference. John Leonard is in his third season at the helm of the Ave Maria program and owns a 22-48 record with the Gyrenes. In 2012, AMU finished 4-15 overall and 3-8 in league action, finishing sixth in the regular season conference standings and reaching the conference quarterfinals, where they lost to St. Thomas, 3-0.
The Gyrenes are averaging 9.5 kills, 9.2 assists, 16.0 digs and 1.3 blocks per set. Hayley Wonka leads the squad with 159 kills and Briana Jackson has compiled 389 assists running the offense. Marian DeTar leads the defense with 267 digs while Wonka has picked up 224 digs to rank second on the team. With 27 blocks (11 solo), Ashley St. Hubin leads the Gyrenes in blocking.
STREAKING IN THE POLLS
When the NAIA released the eighth coaches' poll of the 2013 regular season on Tuesday, the Eagles found themselves at No. 19 in the rankings, holding steady from the previous week. Embry-Riddle spent the entire 2011 season and all but one week in 2012 ranked in the top 10, a total of 25 weeks, including a trio of weeks at No. 2 (Sept. 20 - Oct. 4, 2011). In total, the Eagles have been ranked in the Top 25 for 47 consecutive polls, the fifth-longest active streak in the NAIA.
BLUE AND GOLD AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Eagles have shown in 2013 that they are among the best in the NAIA in four of the most important facets of the game: assists, kills, digs and hitting percentage. Embry-Riddle is currently averaging 12.06 assists/set, the 20th-best average in the country. With 13.01 kills/set, ERAU ranks 25th in the NAIA. Ranking 34th in the nation, the Eagles have picked up 17.01 digs/set. Embry-Riddle is hitting .214 as a team, good for 48th in the country.
GRAY DOMINANT DEFENSIVELY
Junior libero
Hannah Gray has proven that she is one of the best defensive players in the country with her stellar play this season. Gray, last year's Sun Conference Libero of the Year, is currently averaging 6.49 digs/set, the second-highest average in the nation. Her 610 digs are also the 23rd-highest total in the NAIA.
FERREIRA DOING IT ALL
Sophomore setter
Tamires Ferreira is out to prove that setters can do more than just rack up assists. She has done a great job circulating the ball while running the 5-1 offense for the Eagles, recording 909 assists for an average of 9.99 assists/set, which ranks her 27th in the nation in that category. But she has also collected a team-leading 49 service aces, good for 41st in the NAIA, in addition to picking up 256 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 147 kills, including a match-high 16 kills at Flagler on Sept. 11. The Barbacena, Brazil native also has 47 blocks (three solo) on the season, ranking third on the Eagle squad.
MILESTONE CHASE
At least one Eagle is in the hunt for a career milestone and a program record during the 2013 season.
Emily Jacobson stands at 352 career blocks, nine behind Susan Delahanty's 361 program record number. Jacobson has averaged 88 blocks per season since stepping on ERAU's campus.
REPLACING THE BEST CLASS IN EAGLE HISTORY
Following the 2012 season, Gallop lost four seniors that were arguably the best class in program history.
Jordan Holcomb and
Taylor Martin (now volunteer assistant coaches for the Eagles) rank No. 3 and No. 4 respectively on the all-time kills list (1,000-Kill Club), while
Adriana Vazquez shattered the career assist mark (5,035) while collecting four straight Sun Conference Setter of the Year honors (1,000-Assist Club). Glorida Kemp also graduated after compiling 672 kills, a .276 attack percentage and 237 blocks in her four-year career.
PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Sun Conference coaches selected the Eagles to top the league's preseason poll, released in August. Embry-Riddle garnered six first-place votes and 48 total points to claim the No. 1 spot in the poll, while St. Thomas came in second with two first-place votes and 43 total points.
19 SEASONS OF EAGLE VOLLEYBALL
The 2013 season marks the 19th edition of Eagle volleyball. Embry-Riddle is 423-235 all-time, capturing five regular season titles, four conference tournament titles and making three appearances at the NAIA National Championship.
